Could anyone provide insights into the STEM curriculum, extracurriculars, and clubs at these two schools? I understand that both are excellent institutions, but I had the impression that they are more focused on the humanities than on STEM. Thank you!
I can speak a little bit about the STEM curriculum at Groton. As a parent, I have less to say about extracurrics and clubs. But first, I start with a long premable that you’re free to skip.
PREAMBLE: At a high-level, I quibble with the characterization that Groton is humanities oriented, though I know that’s the reputation. I think it’s more accurate to say that Groton is not a good place for kids who want to focus exclusively on STEM because:
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the school does have a very well-rounded and demanding curriculum that they expect all kids to pass through, meaning that there’s no safe haven for the STEM-only kid who wants to avoid intensive and sustained research, reading and writing, and
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the extracurricular requirements are all the traditional sports or theater/dance options and do not, to my knowledge, contain anything like robotics, though it might be possible for a student to petition to create a STEM-focused faculty-sponsored activity for a single term if, for example, the student were working on a special project or competition of some sort.
The point is that the school’s expectation is for students to learn together in a reasonably common curriculum and participate and sweat together with their classmates in established and physically strenuous extracurriculars; and this might not appeal to a certain (and reasonably common) type of STEM-focused kid. Athletics-for-all was a huge part of the school’s founding ethos and I don’t see them giving up on that anytime soon. /END OF PREAMBLE
With that out of the way, on to the curriculum:
- MATH: Essentially a three-year requirement ending after Fifth Form (11th grade), though a majority of students take it through graduation. A handful of students (but it’s a small school) take Calc BC in Second or Third Form, though Fourth and Fifth Form are more common.
Standard courses that are offered each year run through linear algebra, with select topics / student tutorials offered after that, in addition to AP stats and CS, which students would likely fit into their schedule in the final two years.
- SCIENCE: Standard AP and non-AP offerings in bio (or ecology), chem, and physics, plus a smattering of electives. The technical requirements, I believe, is for two science courses with lab if you’re doing 4 years there. I think it’s quite common for 4-year students to start in bio or ecology, then take (AP) chemistry in Fourth Form (10th grade), and (AP) Physics in Fifth Form (11th).
The school runs a summer program (for Groton students only) after Third Form called GRACE that allows kids to study two subjects. The most popular GRACE subject is the AP chemistry on-ramp, which helps kids hit the ground running in the fall of their Fourth Form. Approximately 45% of Groton Third Formers participate in GRACE, and a strong majority of them take chem, which means that probably 1/3 of the Fourth Form class has been studying some chem when the school year starts.
Electives generally open up in the final two years and there’s a decent selection of courses in HS engineering, astronomy, etc. The headmaster was trained as a chemist and loves to teach organic chemistry, which is a fairly popular elective (oddly enough).
What else? The school regularly has a handful of qualifiers, semi-finalists and occasionally finalists in several of the major STEM competitions (e.g., AIME, Chem Olympiad, Regeneron, etc.). But the fact of the matter – which will turn a lot of kids and parents off – is that the school generally wants students to focus their time and efforts on campus within the community of learners that they’ve carefully selected and developed. The time demands from the required classes and activities are pretty onerous, probably even more so that peer schools (search the forum for references to Groton being a “grind”). Students who want to do their own thing are probably a better fit elsewhere.
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This is extremely helpful—thank you so much for taking the time and effort to reply with such a high level of detail. I do wish they offered more faculty-sponsored STEM activities. Regarding matriculation, do most students go on to study Humanities at university? And do they tend to have an advantage when applying to college with a focus on Humanities over STEM majors?
Also, does anyone have any insights about Deerfield?
People should pay attention to this “preamble.” I think this has been my child’s experience at a boarding school that is not named Groton or Deerfield. There’s certainly great opportunities for students interested in STEM, but the school has a well-rounded and demanding curriculum that they know will prepare students for all fields of study in college and beyond. The school also emphasizes being a well-rounded person through participation in sports, arts and music, and community life.
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It’s impossible to speak about the entire graduating class of ~90 kids, but, anecdotally, in recent years, most students appear not to be positioning themselves as humanities students when they apply to college. STEM and quantitative social sciences are much more popular. But that will be the same at any peer school; it’s a generational preference among kids these days, as you probably know. I don’t think you’ll find any meaningful differences among peer schools on this point.
Also, per my prior comment about pursuing STEM interests through a faculty-sponsored activity (FSA), a current Fourth Former just won a Top Award at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair Awards, which he did as an FSA: https://www.societyforscience.org/press-release/regeneron-isef-2025-grand-awards/
There is certainly a place (and plenty of support and resources) for students like that at Groton and similar schools, but those experiences are the exception rather than the norm at these kinds of boarding schools. Groton and similar schools would be thrilled to have a few students like that in every class (they’d be crazy not to), but that is not the student that these schools are built for. You can’t build the community and life/learning experience that these schools cherish if every student is peeling away from campus to do their own extracurricular, no matter how amazing those accomplishments are.
If I were one of those students who planned to be wholly invested in my own pursuits – whether that be engineering or club swimming or ballet or whatever – I would find an amazing day school close to home and keep following my passions.
If you already know what you want, then there’s not much point in turning your life (and your parents’ lives) upside down to go to Groton or any similar school – no matter how great the school’s name sounds.
But if you want an amazing and well-rounded education, and a community of kids, faculty and staff who will help you discover new interests and push beyond the person you were when you applied, then boarding school is a great place for you – and Groton especially so.
Lastly, if you’re curious about college matriculations, Groton is small enough that they actually print a list of every school that the most recent graduating class (not the past 5 years of graduating classes) actually attends (not acceptances). The dots next to the school names tell you the number of kids attending. It’s in the Groton School Quarterly (Fall issue, if memory serves).
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I really appreciate your insights and completely agree with your comments about the well-rounded education at Groton and its peer schools. I’m exploring this topic to help my daughter finalize her school list—particularly to determine whether some of the more humanities-focused schools can still provide strong support if she decides to pursue STEM in college.
I’m aware that many boarding schools don’t have dedicated, faculty-led initiatives to help students compete in STEM competitions for individual awards. I’m simply wondering whether there are enough faculty-sponsored activities or internal/external research opportunities for students to go beyond the regular curriculum.
Nothing at these schools specifically, but since our DC had similar aspirations, I thought I would chime in about our experiences. I think the key is to get a sense of how well defined the support for a given STEM activity is. You have to remember that these schools have VERY ambitious students. You can find examples of students who compete and thrive in any of the math/science/engineering competitions at all of these top schools. BUT, the real questions we wish we had understood a bit better is how guided, supported and advertised these opportunities are.
Let me give you an example, we have a family friend whose child attended a STEM magnet school and they had a science research track. The students were guided as part of this program and had a significant research project as part of their coursework. It was baked in and so every student had the experience with many going on to win awards at various science fairs. Given the rigor of these schools, having it be part of your curriculum is a real advantage. There is no need to discover the opportunity yourself and ask for support from faculty.
Another consideration is location, location, location. Some of the schools near campuses will have more connections with academic labs, or those near big research oriented companies may have formal opportunities there. These may be harder to come by or harder to access when in a more rural area. If your school doesn’t have great opportunities during the school year, perhaps you then want to at least have experiences that help build a resume for many of the summer programs (i.e. RSI, RISE, SSP, Simons). Keep in mind also that many of these superstar students have academics/researchers/executives as parents and that may help facilitate opportunities that may not be universally available.
Finally, we found that though some schools have competition teams in various STEM areas, it is very important to get a sense of how much time is dedicated to the activity. Some schools have club blocks but to encourage being well rounded will swap those out on a periodic basis. Many competitions are season oriented however. So the teams tend not to be as competitive from those schools simply because they are not competing the entire season. We had one school tell us explicitly not to go there if our goal was to compete in a particular competition for this reason. We appreciated the honesty.
Anyhow, just wanted to mention these points as it’s sometimes challenging to discern how much the school does to set the student up with these opportunities versus how ambitious/connected the students who go to the school are that enables them to have these opportunities. One really good source of info imo are some of the AMAs regarding RSI applications. Many will offer insight into how they were able to get the opportunities they had.
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Thank you for elaborating on the important information. A guided research track is certainly a major advantage. This is exactly the type of detail I’m seeking as I explore different schools.
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As you do your research, you may want to also consider the academic calendar. Cambridge School of Weston, George School, and Episcopal Academy have a series of short terms (rather than trimesters or semesters), and these allow both for intensive work for a term as well as a bit more flexibilty in customizing a curriculum (including doubling up on subjects). This appeals to many STEM kids.
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Thank you!